Lesson in Current Issues in Education

1. Current Issues and Trends in Education
Deteriorating
Quality of
Education
Reported by: Jemimah Jane S. Forbes

2. World Bank report
on PH education
‘disturbing, very
alarming’
Malacañang expressed alarm
over the World Bank report
that over 80 percent of Filipino
students fall below the minimum
proficiency levels.
World Bank observed
poor learning results
among students in the
Philippines.
The report was based on the three
assessments the Philippines
participated in -- the Program for
International Student (Pisa) in 2018,
the Trends in International
Mathematics and Science Study
(TIMSS) in 2019, and the first cycle
of the Southeast Asia Primary
Learning Metrics (SEA-PLM) in 2019.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1145626
July 1, 2021

3. The World Bank said there is a “crisis” in Philippine
education “which started pre-Covid-19 (coronavirus
disease 2019)” and “have been made worse” by the
coronavirus pandemic.
It said more than 80 percent of children in the
Philippines “do not know what they should know in
school.”
Across the three global assessments, the World Bank
said, only 10 to 22 percent of Grade 4, 5, and 9
students in the Philippines posted scores “at or above
minimum proficiency.”
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1145626
July 1, 2021

4. The mass media has been recently bombarded with
information about the poor quality of Philippine education.
The public has been presented almost ad nauseam with data
on the Philippines having the highest learning poverty in the
Indo-Pacific region and Philippine 15-year-old students scoring
the lowest in international achievement tests in reading
comprehension, mathematical literacy and scientific knowledge
and reasoning. There is also the reference to the lowest
percentage of GDP spent on education spent by the Philippine
Government in comparison with our ASEAN peers.
https://mb.com.ph/2022/09/27/improving-quality-of-philippine-education/
Sept. 27, 2022

5. World Bank report that 91% of children at 10 years of age
are unable to read and understand a short and simple text.
In this regard, the Philippines stands out like a sore thumb in
the East Asian region which is well known globally for the
high quality of basic education. It is at the bottom of 10
Asian countries in “learning poverty,” with Singapore at the
top, followed by South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, China,
Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and India, in that order. In
other categories like “learning deprivation,” the Philippines
also ranks last and third to the last in “schooling
deprivation,” better off than just Indonesia and India (two
more populous countries than the Philippines).
https://www.bworldonline.com/opinion/2022/09/27/476965/addressing-the-philippine-education-crisis-5/
Sept. 27, 2022

6. World Bank report that 91% of children at 10 years of age
are unable to read and understand a short and simple text.
In this regard, the Philippines stands out like a sore thumb in
the East Asian region which is well known globally for the
high quality of basic education. It is at the bottom of 10
Asian countries in “learning poverty,” with Singapore at the
top, followed by South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, China,
Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and India, in that order. In
other categories like “learning deprivation,” the Philippines
also ranks last and third to the last in “schooling
deprivation,” better off than just Indonesia and India (two
more populous countries than the Philippines).
https://www.bworldonline.com/opinion/2022/09/27/476965/addressing-the-philippine-education-crisis-5/
Sept. 27, 2022

7. References to the well-known catastrophic performance of
Filipino students in the PISA where our 15-year-old
representatives in 2018 obtained the lowest scores in reading
literacy, mathematics literacy, and science literacy.
In the 2018 tests, Filipino students obtained an average score
of 340 points in Overall Reading Literacy, which was
significantly lower than the OECD average of 487 points.
Only one out of five students (19.4%) achieved at least the
minimum proficiency level (Level 2) in Overall Reading Literacy.
Among the participating ASEAN countries, Filipino students
performed closest to but significantly behind Indonesian
students by 31 points in Overall Reading Literacy.
https://www.bworldonline.com/opinion/2022/09/27/476965/addressing-the-philippine-education-crisis-5/
Sept. 27, 2022

8. In Mathematical literacy, Filipino students achieved an average
score of 353 points, which was significantly lower than OECD
average of 489 points. Only one out of five students (19.7%)
attained at least the minimum proficiency level (Level 2) in
mathematical literacy. Likewise, as in reading, among the
ASEAN countries, Filipino students performed closest but
significantly behind the Indonesians by 26 points in mathematical
literacy. The pattern was not significantly different in the
third field, that of scientific literacy, in which Filipino students
attained an average of 357 points, significantly lower than the
OECD average of 489 points.
https://www.bworldonline.com/opinion/2022/09/27/476965/addressing-the-philippine-education-crisis-5/
Sept. 27, 2022

9. Problems
and Issues
Low Government Budget for
Education
Poor Quality of Teachers
Poor Management of Schools
Poor School Facilities such as
laboratories and library facilities
Poor Learning Environment
Content of Curriculum
Inadequate books and equipments
Poor method of instruction
Shortages of Classrooms

10. Government Budget for Education
Funds are spent not
for the purpose they
are intended.

11. Poor Quality of Teachers
Most teachers are not well-trained to
teach, therefore they are often assigned
courses outside of their field of expertise,
resulting in poor quality of education.
Certain teachers are not equipped to
teach the topic, resulting in poor student
performance and poor educational quality.

12. Poor Learning Environment
Poor ventilation, poor comfort rooms and
handwashing facilities and canteen.
Students surely want something sufficient
and even though they are only in a public
school, it doesn’t mean that they don’t
have the right to study in a comfortable
environment.

13. Shortages of Classrooms, Textbooks and Equipments
Since 1960, elementary enrolment has been expanding at the rapid rate
of 4% a year owing to increase in the number of children and in the
enrolment ratio. The shortages of classrooms and textbooks are
particularly severe. The nationwide classroom shortage is estimated to
be 40,000 and the DECS (now DepEd) operates two shifts in many
schools. The textbook problem is even more serious. A survey done in
preparation for a World Bank education loan found that the pupil-
textbook ration in the public elementary schools is 10:1 and 79% of the
textbooks are more than 5 years old. This situation has persisted for
many years. Other teaching tools, such as science materials, teaching
devices and audio-visual aids, are also in short supply. Perennial graft
and corruption in the acquisition of books and in the construction of
school buildings has often been reported. This situation handicaps the
teaching staff in their work.

14. Plan to significantly
improve the quality
of Philippine
education
This masterplan will be designed to
install aggressive reforms in four key
areas:
1.) K to 12 curriculum review and
updating
2.) Improvement of the learning
environment
3.) Teachers’ upskilling and reskilling
through a transformed professional
development program
4.) Engagement of stakeholders for
support and collaboration.

15. Thank
You!